By-pass assembly for service pipe



,April 3 1958 F. HQ MUELLER ETAL 2,829,675

BY-PAss ASSEMBLY FOR SERVICE: .PIPE Filed Jan. 27. 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1INVENTORS FRA/VK H. MUEL. E@ WALTER J. BOW/4 /V ATTORNEYS April 8, 1958F. H. MUELLER Erm. 2,829,675

BY-PASS ASSEMBLY FOR SERVICE PIPE Filed Jan. 27, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 mm N mm w v \(mm .R um wm $65k No. S www w mi mm bbw@ vk Wm.

FRA/VK H. MUELLER WALTER-J. BOWA/V 1 ATTORNEYS BY-PASS ASSEMBLY FORSERVICE PIPE :Frank H. Mueller and Walter I. Bowan, Decatur, Ill.,

assignors to Mueller Co., Decatur, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Thisinvention relates to improved means for repairing,

without replacement, a leaky section `of Va gas or water service ,pipeconducting fluid from a street main into a house or other building."More particularly, this invention pertains to an Aimproved by-passassembly that is insertable into the service pipe from within the houseor other building to isolate or seal off the walls of the leaky sectionof such pipe. Additionally, this invention pertains to an improved toolused in the installation of the by-pass assembly. The invention willbedescribed with reference to gas 'service pipes, but `it will beunderstood that the invention is applicable to service pipes for wateror other fluids.

Gas service pipes which run underground from the street main into thebasement of a house usually are made of iron or steel. Hence, `in time,such pipes frequently become defective and leaky because of corrosion,such corrosion usually occurring just outside of the basement wall ofthe house because the ground frequently is damp `at such point, as theresult of drainage of water from the roof or for other reasons. By-passassemblies of the type with `which this invention is concerned areknown, `and eliminate the inconvenience and expense of digging a trenchoutsideof the basement wall to replace the defective section of theservice pipe. Some of the known assemblies of this nature, however, notonly are unduly complicated with increased manufacturing expense, butalso do not permit unobstructed ow of fluid therethrough. This latterdisadvantage, of course, greatly increases any tendencies of theassembly for clogging with consequent interruption of service, and alsosomewhat diminishes the flow `capacity of the assembly.

Known by-pass assemblies of the type under consideration include aspecial wrench device which isused for an insulation. Again, however,known Wrench devices of this nature are also rather complicated, withresulting diiculty in use and increased manufacturing expense.

Additionally, gas usually is not shut ott at` the main during theinstallation of a 'oy-pass assembly of the type under consideration, sothat gas escapes into `the basement `during such an installation. Theescape of a large quantity of gas into a basement presents obvioushazards.

Hence, it is an object of this invention to provide an i improved andsimplified by-pass assembly of the type under consideration, which notonly is effective for its intended purpose, but also results inconsiderable economies in manufacture and in increased ease ofinstallation.

` Itis another object of this invention to provide an improved by-passassembly of the type described that has an unobstructed llow passage toboth eliminate the pcs- `sibility of clogging and minimize reduction inflow capacity of a servicepipe when the assembly is installed therein.

It is still another object of this invention to provide an improvedby-pass assembly of the type described which is of substantially unitaryand inexpensive construction.

It is still another object of this invention to provide a tool forinstalling a by-pass fitting embodying this inveny 21,829,675' "PatentedApr. 8, 1958 tion, such tool not only facilitating the installation ofthe assembly, but also being readily adapte'dfor `the installation ofby-'pass assemblies embodying this invention in pipes of different size.

It is a further object of this invention to provide an improved toolwhich, during theins'tallation of the by-pass assembly with such tool,minimizes the escape of gas into the basement.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from thefollowing description and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure l is a vertical sectional view illustrating a typical servicepipe installation and showing the installation `in such pipe of aby-pass assembly embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical sectional view illustratingthe details of the installed by-pass assembly shown in Figure l.

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view illustrat- 'ing themanner of installing a by-pass assembly embodying this invention with aspecial tool embodying this invention for effecting such installation.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary view corresponding to Figure 3, butshowing the tool in another position.

Figure 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line 5-5 of Figure 3.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown in Figure 1 a typical gasservice pipe installation.; rlhe'tservice pipe 10, which is usually madeof iron or steel, is connected to a street main 12 by a service T' 14and runs underground through the basement wall 16 of a building. The endof the pipe itl projecting into the basement ordinarily has one end of`a T 18 threadedly connected thereto, while the opposite end of the T isclosed by a plug 20. The usual riser line 22 is connected into thelateral or side outlet of the T 18 and leads tothe customary gas meter`(not shown). The ground immediately adjacent the basement wall 16usually is damp, due to water drainage from the building roof andotherreasons, so that the service pipe lil frequently becomes corrodedsutilciently at this point, as at 24, to leak. Since the remainder ofthe pipe 1h is relatively sound, repair of the leaky section 24 willprovide many more years of life for the pipe. Repair of the leakysection 24 without the necessity of excavation may be accomplished by aby-pass assembly 26 embodying this invention.

The by-pass assembly 26, best shown in Figure 4, consists of a main bodyportion in the form of a ductile tube 28, preferably of copper. Mountedon the `main body portion 28 adjacent each end thereof is a pair ,oflongitudinally spaced steel ferrules 36 and 32. The ferrules `39immediately adjacent the ends of the tube 28 are held in place thereonby outwardly flaring the tube ends to form an outturned lip or ange 34,while the other ferrules 32 preferably are secured to the body 28 bysoldering, brazing, or other similar means. Mounted on the tube 28between each pair of ferrules 3i) and 32 and in abutting relationshiptherewith is an annular resilient packing gasket 36, of rubber or the4like. Since the ferrules'32 are rigidly attached to the tube 28, it isapparent that the gaskets 36 will hold the ferrules 30 tightly againstthe lips 34. As shown in the drawings, the outer diameters of theferrules and the gaskets are substantially equal and only slightly lessthan the inner diameter of the service pipe 10. It alsowill be notedthat the interior of both ends of the by-pa'ss assembly 26 are gentlyrounded outwardly to provide for a smooth flow of` fluid therethrough.

In use, the by-pass assembly 26 is installed in a service pipe 10, asshown in Figure l, to extend therein from a point adjacent the T 18through the basement wall 16 and outwardly beyondthe leaky section -24ofthe service pipe. The installation is completed by radially expandingthose portions of the tube 28 underlying the gaskets 36 (as shown inFigures l and 2) to thereby force the exterior cylindrical surface ofthe gaskets into tight peripheral sealing engagement with the interiorwall of the service pipe 10. Because the metal of the tube 28 iscold-Worked by such expansion, the

expanded portions thereof become relatively inelasticY and permanentlydeformed to thereby maintain indefinitely the aforedescribed tightperipheral seal between the gaskets 36 and the interior wall of theservice pipe 10.

When the assembly 26 is thus installed, it will be seen l that the wallsof the leaky or defective section 24 of the service pipe 10 arecompletely isolated or sealed off and that flow will take place from thesound pait of the pipe through the by-pass assembly and into the T 13for distribution through riser 22 to the building piping system. Thus,the leaky section 24 of the service pipe 10 is effectively by-passed bya structure which, in effect, relines the leaky section of the servicepipe. Moreover, it will be noted that the assembly 26 seals the servicepipe 10 on both sides of the leaky section 24 so that any water drainagefrom the soil into the leaky section cannot drain into the basement. Itwill be noted further that, since the main body 28 of the by-passassembly 26 preferably is formed of copper, brass, or other suitablenon-corrodible metal, the assembly will remain effective for itsintended purpose for an extended period of time. Likewise, the rubbergaskets 36 will also remain effective for their intended purpose for agreatly extended period of time. It also will be seen that thenon-conductive rubber gaskets 36 eliminate the possibility of formationof a copper-iron electroiytic action which would hasten deterioration ofthe remaining portions of the steel service pipe 18.

For installation of the above-described by-pass assembly 26, there isprovided a special expanding tool 38 (Figures 3 to 5) that is insertableinto the assembly 26 from either end thereof. The tool 38 consists of along draw rod 40 slidably enclosed within a thrust tube 42 andprojecting beyond both ends of the latter. At its forward projectingend, i. e., the end insertable into the assembly 26, the rod 40 carries,in the following order, a thrust collar 44 abutting against the forwardend of the thrust tube 42, one or more back-up washers 46, preferably ofrelatively hard rubber, an expansible rubber sleeve 48, somewhat longerthan the gaskets 36, one or more rubber back-up Washers G, and anadjusting nut 52 threaded onto the end of the rod. The collal 44,washers 46 and 50, sleeve 48, and nut 52 are of the same diameter whichis slightly less than the interior diameter of the tube 28, while theouter diameter of the tube 42 is of smaller diameter than the collar 44,etc., to form a rearwardly facing shoulder 54, for reasons laterexplained.

Secured to the rearward end of the thrust tube 42, as by welding, as at56, or the like, is an adapter 58 having a rearwardly facing interiorlyenlarged threaded socket. Slidably mounted on the thrust tube 42 is anipple 60 adapted to be threaded into one end of the T 18 on removal ofthe plug 26. The nipple has a tubular extension 62 which will projectthrough the T 18 and into the pipe 10, as shown in Figures 3 and 4. Whenthe adapter 58 abuts against the nipple 60, the thrust tube 42 and theVdraw rod 40 project forwardly from the extension 62 a distance sutcientto receive the by-pass assembly with the sleeve 48 mounted on theforward end ofthe draw rod positioned as shown in Figure 3; i. e., theexpansible sleeve 48 will be positioned beneath the rubber gasket 36 atthe forward end of the by-pass assembly. In this position of the parts,it. will be seen that rearward movement of the draw rod 48, Whilemaintaining the thlust tube 42 substantially fixed, Will serve tocompress the expansible sleeve 48 between washers 46 and 50, to therebycause radial expansion of the sleeve which, in turn, will radiallyexpand that portion of the tube 28 underlying the forward gasket 36 tothereby expand the latter into tight peripheral sealing engagement withthe interior wall of pipe 10. During such operation, it will be seenthat the ferrules 30 and 32 on each side of the forward gasket 36confine the expansion of the tube 28 only to the region underlying suchgasket.

Prior to this expanding operation, the by-pass assembly 26 is mountedfrom either end thereof onto the thrust tube 42 in the position shown inFigure 3, the plug 20 is removed from the T 18, and the nipple 60,together with the by-pass assembly 26 and tube 42, is rapidly insertedthrough the T 18 and into the pipe 10 and the nipple 60 is threaded intothe T, thus permitting only a small amount of gas to escape during thisinserting operation. It thus will be seen that the tubular extension 62on the nipple 60 provides a gauge for properly positioning the by-passassembly 26 within the pipe 10. The nipple 60 also has an interiorcircumferential groove within which is mounted an O-ring 64 which sealsagainst the periphery of the thrust tube 42, to thereby prevent leakageof gas between the thrust tube and the nipple during the expandingoperation.

After the forward end of the by-pass assembly has been expanded toeffect a tight seal, as aforedescribed, the adapter member 58, togetherwith the thrust tube 42, is pulled rearwardly through the nipple 60until the rearwardly facing shoulder 54 on the thrust collar 44 engagesthe forward end of the tubular extension 62 on the nipple 60, as isshown in Figure 4. It will be seen that, in this position of the thrusttube 42 and draw rod 40, the expansion sleeve 48 on the forward end ofthe latter will be located beneath that portion of the tube 28underlying the rear rubber gasket 36. Hence, rearward movement of thedraw rod 40 with respect to the thrust tube 42 will be effective toexpand a rear section of the tube 28 to force the rear gasket 36 intotight peripheral sealing engagement with the interior wall of the pipe10, to thereby isolate the walls of the leaky section 24 and permit flowto take place entirely through the by-pass assembly after the expandingtool 36 has been removed and the plug 20 replaced.

That portion of the tool employed for effecting rearward movement of thedraw rod 40 relative to the thrust tube 42 comprises a draw shaft 66threadedly engaged within a socket of a connector member 68 welded, asat 70, to the rearward projecting end of the draw rod 40. Preferably,the draw shaft 66 has a hexagonal or other nou-circularly-shaped flange72 immediately adjacent the socket of the connector 68, while theexterior of the connector 68 is of square or other non-circularconfiguration, as shown in Figure 5, so that the shaft 66 and theconnector 68 can be engaged by appropriate wrenches for connecting ordisconnecting the same.

Threadedly engaged within the socket of the adapter 58 is a tubularmember 74 having an exteriorly threaded rearwardly extending portion 76snugly engaging the draw shaft 66. Threadedly mounted on the extension76 is a draw sleeve 78 having an interior circumferential flange 80engaged with a rearwardly facing shoulder 82 formed by a reducedextension 84 on the draw shaft 66. Interposed between a nut 86 threadedon the outer end of the extension 84 and the rearward end of the sleeve78 is an antifriction thrust bearing 88. Both the sleeve 78 and themember 74 are provided with radially extending handles 90 and 92,respectively.

It thus will be seen that rotation of the sleeve 78 by means of itshandle 90, while the member 74 is held fixed against rotation by itshandle 92, will serve to move thedraw shaft 66, and consequently thedraw rod 40, rearwardly relative to the thrust tube 42. Preferably, theextension '76 is provided with an interior circumferential groovemounting an O-ring 94 to effect a seal between the draw shaft 66 and themember 74. Additionally, an

O-ring seal 96 is provided between the adapter 58 and the member 74. Bymeans of these O-ring seals 94 and 96, any gas passing rearwardlybetween the draw rod 40 and the thrust tube 42 will be prevented fromleaking to atmosphere from the tool 38.

lt also will be seen that the expansion-effecting portion of the tool isadapted for use with expansion assemblies, i. e., adapter 58, nipple 60,thrust tube 42, draw rod 40, etc., for operation on by-pass assemblies26 of different size for use in different-size service pipes. For thispurpose, the nut 86 may be unscrewed and the member 74 can then beunscrewed from the adapter 58 and, together with the sleeve 78 andbearing assembly 88, slid rearwardly on the draw shaft 66 until ilange72 and connector 68 are exposed for the reception of wrenches todisconnect draw shaft 66 from connector 68. Thereupon, a new forwardassembly, i. e., adapter 58, nipple 60, tube 42, rod 4t), etc., ofdifferent size can be connected to the draw shaft 66 and member 74.

It thus will be seen that the objects of this invention have been fullyand effectively accomplished. It will be realized, however, that thespecific embodiment of the invention illustrated and described todisclose the principles thereof may be changed without departing fromsuch principles. Therefore, this invention includes all modificationsencompassed within the spirit and scope of the following claims.

We claim:

1. A by-pass assembly for insertion into a service pipe to isolate thewalls of a section thereof comprising: an open-ended tubular member ofductile metal having a pair of longitudinally spaced relatively rigidferrules mounted thereon adjacent each end thereof; an expansibleannular gasket mounted on said member intermediate and in abuttingrelation with the opposed ends of each pair of said ferrules, theexterior diameter of said ferrules and gasket being substantially equaland slightly less than the interior diameter of the service pipe,whereby radial expansion of said tubular member in the regionsunderlying each of said gaskets, by an expanding tool inserted into saidmember, will force said gaskets into peripheral sealing engagement withthe interior surface of the pipe.

2. The structure defined in claim 1 in which the member has outturnedlips at both ends thereof engaged with the adjacent ends of thecorresponding ferrules to retain the latter and the gaskets on saidmember, and the other ferrules are rigidly secured to said member.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,306,982 Walsh lune 17, 1919 2,142,017 Riemenschneider et al. Dec. 27,1938 2,445,273 Kennedy July 13, 1948 2,517,626 Berg Aug. 8, 19502,543,954 Barber Mar. 6, 1951 2,731,041 Mueller et al. Jan. 17, 19562,756,779 Tratzik et al. July 31, 1956

